The Christ-Follower as Peacemaker
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." - Matthew 5:9
"If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." - Romans 12:18
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:7
I once heard someone say something to the effect of, "I feel more comfortable when I am in financial debt, because I feel like staying debt-free is a constant burden." While I know I have been guilty of similar thoughts in various categories, it is easy to see the shortsightedness in this way of thinking. As I read the passages above, though, I wonder if this is how some of us think about conflict and peace in our lives? Do we say, "It is easier just to accept conflict, or even to be the controversial one, because I always feel like I'm walking on eggshells." As silly as it sounds to prefer to be in financial debt because of the hard work of being debt-free, it is probably even more foolish to prefer conflict over peace.
Conflict is inevitable in this life. Disagreements over various things will be part of our daily experience. It is not abnormal to be in conflict, but that doesn't mean it is automatically virtuous. Preferring conflict over peace is a dereliction of God's design and call to believers. I have, in the past, thought, "well, you know you're doing something right if you are making people angry at you." And while there may be elements of truth to that statement, too often we are guilty of getting the cart before the horse in that respect. It seems that some people only feel like they are doing something right if they make waves in the process; but not every righteous deed needs to be a tumultuous deed. Not every instance of standing for truth must be from the offensive position. Yes, the Word of God is a sharp sword, piercing to the deepest depths of the thoughts and intentions of human hearts - but it does so without us adding our personal daggers into the fight as well.
Why did Jesus say that peacemakers are blessed? Well, the answer to that is the same for all the beatitudes in Matthew 5. The reason why peacemakers are blessed is because Jesus Christ is Himself the chief peacemaker. Jesus Christ is both the example and the fulfilment of the beatitudes. Those things are blessed because in following that pattern, we walk in the steps of our Savior. We can never fulfil them perfectly, but he works them in us, like the fruit of the Spirit, as we grow in Holiness. One of the areas, then, in which we can expect spiritual growth, is being peacemakers. Jesus ushered in the peace of God in the Gospel. He offered true peace by appeasing the wrath of God on our account. He exemplified peace by being "full of grace and truth." (John 1) He poured out peace in his speech, his actions, and in his love. He was never afraid to stand for truth and righteousness, but He did not walk around with a homing beacon for conflict.
Christ is working this kind of peace in our lives by the fact that his unexplainable peace "guards our hearts and minds..." (Philippians 4) When we are in Christ, we have minds and hearts that are guarded by peace. The peace that Christ poured out has been poured into us. We are first possessors of that peace, and from that we are spreaders of that peace. We are "peacemakers" because we have been made at peace with God. We can "live peaceably with others" because we now live peaceably with God. In other words, if any group of people in the world should be able to live peaceably, it should be those who have been filled and are governed by Christ's miraculous peace.
An Example: one of the quintessential areas in which we can practice this spiritual discipline is in our social media presence. Yes, we all have our controversial views. Yes, that political meme that we shared really is a "gotcha" for all our Facebook enemies. Yes, we are convinced that righteousness must prevail. Yes, we know that "if they hated Jesus they will hate us too." But do we somehow take joy in that? Do we somehow get a sense of fulfillment when the most number of people are provoked to anger over our communication? Brothers and sisters, these things should not be so.
Perhaps one way to ask the question is this: Do we see conflict as a possible byproduct of our stand for truth, or as the goal of our stand for truth? That is, do we speak the truth in hopes that it will "get someone riled up," or do we prayerfully, humbly, and lovingly share the truth, knowing that there is a chance that it may prod someone to anger? There is a world of difference between those two approaches. One is "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4), while the other is letting "what you regard as good be spoken of as evil." (Romans 14:16) We are called to, "if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." That leaves room for the inevitable, when someone is angered over the truth, or when someone is hostile to righteousness. But what it does not leave room for is seeking to provoke people to anger by our inflammatory words and actions. Seeking to "get a rise" out of that person we disagree with. Seeking to "get them to see it our way" rather than praying they will be transformed by truth.
To summarize, while division over absolutes is a natural part of life, there is no sense in which a Follower of Christ should take pleasure in or seek out turmoil. While being hated for righteousness' sake is an expected element of the Christian experience, that is no excuse to pour fuel on the fire of that hatred by adding or seeking conflict. Peacemakers are "sons of God" because they have been transformed to be such by The Son of God, who is the ultimate peacemaker. Remember, we were the provokers. We were the conflicting ones. We were the agitators, the stubborn ones, the vile ones; but we have been changed. In Christ, we have changed from enemies of God to being at peace with God. Our hearts and minds are guarded by peace, and our vertical peace with God is reflected in our horizontal peace as "peacemaking Christ-followers."
With love,
Pastor Aaron Frost
March 19, 2021
